Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1844/1/5/20-21
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - James Leicester and Philip Ball of Girtford charged wtih stealing 5 bushels of oats from Thomas Henshaw at Sandy
  • Date free text
    22 November 1843
  • Production date
    From: 1843 To: 1844
  • Scope and Content
    Jacob Henshaw of Biggleswade, yeoman – he is a waggoner for his brother Thomas Henshaw. On Monday 23 October about 1am he started with his wagon to go to Bugden. On the Sunday evening about 5pm there were 4 sacks of oats in the back of the wagon. Soon after he got to Girtford he found that one of the sacks of oats was missing. On the Wednesday week Leicester met him on the road at the entrance of the town from Ware and asked if he had lost a sack of oats and whether it was a 4 bushel or a 5 bushel sack. He said it was a 5 bushel sack. Leicester asked him to come up to the White Hart to him him. He did so and found Leicester and Philip Ball there. Ball asked him to go to his brother and ask whether he would take the money for the oats and settle it and not come before the magistrates. Ball said he had the money to pay for them. He went to his brother who said he dare not do any such thing. As he was going back he met them and told them so. William Breakwell of Biggleswade, police constable – on Monday 30 October he went to James Leicester and asked if he had lost any oats. Leicester said he had and gave him a sample from his pocket. He then went to Philip Ball’s at Sandy and asked if he had brought any oats there lately or if anyone else had. Ball said no and that he might search the premises. He climbed up into the loft and found a sack containing about 2 bushels of oats, from which he now produces a sample. When he came down from the loft Ball was gone. He later took the oats away. The next day he took both Leicester and Ball before the magistrate. Thomas Henshaw of Biggleswade, yeoman – on Sunday afternoon 22 October he saw his wagon in his yard loaded with oats in sacks. There were 4 of the sacks of oats lying behind. They were packed and fastened in such a way that he thinks it impossible that either of the sacks should have fallen out. On Wednesday week afterwards Leicester came to his house at Biggleswade and asked if he had lost a sack of oats. He said he had. Leicester said if he could swear to the sack he might have it. He said he should not do that but would have him down before the magistrate. When his wagon started he had some sacks which had belonged to William Norman marked W.N. on his premises. It is very likely that some of them may have gone with the oats on the Sunday. The samples of oats produced by Breakwell are of the same sort as those sent by the wagon. He has picked out a few oats from the sack now brought by Leicester which are also the same sort. He bought them in London and they are not common in this neighbourhood. William Cooper of Biggleswade, labourer – one day about a month ago he was in Thomas Cooper’s yard in Sandy and Philip Ball and Leicester were there. Leicester took a handful of chaff and corn out of the manger and a handful of oats out of his own pocket, and said the oats corresponded with the other. Ball said to Leicester “you had better hold your tongue or else perhaps there will be a bother about these oats”, and they went away together. He had heard Leicester say he had found some oats by Mr Atkinson’s at Girtford Bridge and that he had since lost them out of his stable. This was before Breakwell went and found the oats at Philip Ball’s. James Leicester – he picked up the oats just against Mr Atkinson’s at Girtford. He was going up to Welwyn with a ton of carrots. Stephen Cooper was with him at the time and saw him find them. He put them up in the cart and took them as far as John [Holine’s?] at Pinchgut Hall. He left them there and told all his people he had found them. He came back on the Tuesday morning and brought the oats with him to Girtford where he lives and put them in his stable. That same night they were stolen. The sack he brought here today is the sack in which he found them and lost them. He told James Haines and William Cooper and other people that he had found them. If they did not find an owner Stephen Cooper was to have half of them. Philip Ball – he found the oats which Breakwell found in his stable between Girtford and Sandy. It as on a Tuesday and he took them home and put them in the stable.
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